Link of the Week: Count Me In is an unprecedented initiative to learn about Jews of Color in the U.S. and their experience. Please take the survey if you identify as a Jew of Color.

It’s time to dress for Purim! So grab your masks and let’s get fabulous! Pick your favorite COVID mask (or maybe your least favorite) and let’s make it sparkle with Purim fun! Or collect more traditional mask making materials to make the mask of your choosing. No fun art materials at home? Bring a roll of foil for tinfoil tiaras. This is an all ages making adventure. Contact Sue Bojdak if you have any questions.

Saturday, Feb. 20 from Noon - 1:30. Join the Zoom Meeting.

The festival of Purim invites us to feast, and so we will! We are doing a cooking demo of a complete Purim dinner – including a Sephardic challah based on the Moroccan Purim bread, “boyosa,” three vegetarian entrées, and many savory and sweet hamantaschen. Learn more and view the recipes here. Questions? Email our hosts Ernest and Kathleen Friedlander.

Fellow Sha'ar Zahav member, Ron Lezell, who has travelled to Iran multiple times will also join us to show images and share stories from his trips and visit to the Tomb of Esther and Mordecai in Hamadan.

Sunday, Feb. 21 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. Join the Zoom Meeting.

An important part of the Purim holiday is giving gifts to those in need, in Hebrew, Matanot L’evyonim. In keeping with the theme of wearing masks for the holiday, Sha’ar Zahav is making gifts for those in our region – much needed COVID masks for survivors of domestic violence who are being released from the SF county jail. To join us, dust off your sewing machine and prepare with this list of materials. Questions? Email our sewing instructor and member, Marla Allen.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 pm. Join the Zoom Meeting.

Join us for an eve of Purim merriment! Topsy-turvy service, silly songs, and the Purim story brought to you by the Megillah Mavens, with live commentary on the Zoom chat by Purim Pundits (including you!). Of course, all while you eat and drink joyfully at home. It's a party!

Thursday, Feb. 25 from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. Join the Zoom Meeting.

Kaf-Lameds is Sha'ar Zahav's 20-30s group. They will aim to light candles at 6:11 pm, and will follow with a shabbat meet and greet dedicated to the holiday of Purim. First time coming? Welcome!

Friday, Feb. 26 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Join the Zoom Meeting

The tradition of Mishloach Manot - which literally means "sending of portions" - encourages us to share food treats with our family, friends and neighbors.

Sign up to give a gift to a fellow SZ member. We will match you with someone in your area, so you can coordinate a contactless pick-up or delivery. You will be automatically matched to receive a gift too!

Need gift ideas? Homemade or store-bought food treats are popular, and hamantaschen are staples but you can be creative! Fresh fruits, a nice card, a piece of art you make, a silly facemask... anything goes!

Last Chance! Sign Up Here Today

Shabbes Beat with Cantor Bernstein. And d'rash by Andrew Berger.

Register Here. Meeting ID: 452 290 988.

Join the Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 365 434 855 and Passcode: 068575.

To join by phone for either service, dial +1 669 900 9128 or find your local number.

Nominated for the Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Brother Outsider illuminates the life and work of Bayard Rustin. Rustin brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the United States, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence. But Rustin was silenced, beaten and imprisoned, largely because he was an openly gay man.

This event is sponsored by the Racial Equity Group and the Social Action Committee.

Open to All! Register to Watch the Film and Join the Zoom Conversation

The election is over, so we are all finished? NO! Voter suppression hasn't ended. Join the Social Action Committee, the John Lewis Voter Engagement Group and the Racial Equity Group as we welcome Andrea Miller to speak at Sha'ar Zahav!

Andrea is one of the founding board members of the Center for Common Ground, and the driving force of its Reclaim our Vote Campaign. She will discuss new voting rights advocacy initiatives and how we may become involved. This is a unique opportunity to hear from her and ask her questions in an "intimate Zoom setting."

Open to All! Register for Free Here

A Passover themed vigil with Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Or Shalom and Congregation Sha’ar Zahav to stand with those directly impacted by the prison system, mass incarceration, U.S. immigration systems and laws, and U.S. foreign and domestic policies that damage people’s lives. Rabbi Copeland and other local leaders will be speaking. Join us!

Please join us and let's get moving! Our ongoing topics are post-elections actions, hunger, immigration, homelessness, racial justice, and gun violence. We meet every month but you may contact Geri Kahn or Nancy Wecker anytime.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

We Are Reading "The Book of V." by Anna Solomon and Discussing it on April 22

We are reading "The Book of V." by Anna Solomon as part of the One Bay One Book project of the Jewish Community Library. Let's read and discuss this new novel, rooted in the Book of Esther, where three characters’ stories in different time periods overlap and ultimately collide. Perfect to start reading during Purim!

A limited number of books will be available on loan starting on March 22. If you'd like to borrow a copy, please email Liliana Peliks.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

There is still time to join this new group! Brought to you by the Hineni Caring Community, and led by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from the Family Caregiver Alliance, this group is open to members who are caring for older adults or adults with disabilities. There is a participant fee but anyone who needs assistance will be aided. If you have any questions, please contact Rabbi Mychal Copeland.

For Members Only. Five Monthly Meetings: $125. Learn More and Register.

Join to meet others with disabilities and work towards a more accessible Sha'ar Zahav on Zoom and when we go back to the synagogue building. We are also looking forward to starting programs and events centered around queer, Jewish, and disabled identities. Want to join? Have questions? Please email Eliana Smithstein.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

We are thinking of re-launching the theatre/movie chavurah!

As we cannot meet in person, the idea is to watch a movie or play that’s being streamed, and to engage afterwards in discussion via Zoom. Interested? Please email Yvette Adida. Once we have an initial list of names, we will meet to discuss and move forward with frequency, dates, genres etc.

Let's work together at Sha'ar Zahav's Gathertown, set up by Rebbetzin Kirsti Copeland. We'll be in the virtual space on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm for the month of February. Want to join? Have questions? Please email Sara Beroff.

Join Virtually: Sha'ar Zahav Gathertown

Hitch a ride on the wayback wagon for a trip down memory lane. Let’s reminisce about the 40’s thru the 70’s together! Different topics each month. We will gather on the first Wednesday of every month. Everyone is welcome! Questions? Please email Marv Lehrman.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Adult B’Mitzvah Program

Many of us did not become B’Mitzvah as children and feel like it might be time to make that connection. Our Adult B’mitzvah Program (ABP) is a monthly group educational program, which runs for approximately 8 – 12 months. In the ABP you will learn about the history of the ritual and explore what it means to become an adult B’mitzvah. You will have practical classes in giving a D’var Torah, reading/chanting from the Torah, leading services, and learning the prayer service.

There will also be sessions on the who, what, and why of prayer, different perspectives of G-d, everyday spirituality and much more. The process culminates in either an individual or group B’mitzvah on a Saturday morning at Sha’ar Zahav.

Contact the coordinator Mark Pressler to let us know you are interested or would like to hear more!

Mussar is a very practical and flexible spiritual discipline to help you balance soul-traits (Middah/Middot) such as Humility, Loving-Kindness, Generosity, and Silence. Drop-ins are always welcome! For more information, contact Mark Pressler. Please note that we will skip our February 25 to observe the holiday of Purim!

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Study the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Copeland and lay leaders. For the first half hour, we’ll talk, learn and share thoughts about the portion. In the second half, we will practice our Hebrew reading skills in a compassionate environment! Join for either or both parts of the study.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Golan Moskowitz will share with us the evolution of Maurice Sendak’s artistic vision and its appeal for American, Jewish, and queer audiences. The talk will show how Sendak’s multiple perspectives as a gay, Holocaust-conscious, American-born son of Yiddish-speaking Polish immigrants informed his life and work, changed the face of children’s literature.

Learn More and Register. Reply to this email and we will waive the $15 fee for Non-members.

Va'ad meetings are open to everyone in our member community. We meet the third Wednesday of every month. Join us!

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Drop in for a joyful hour of free art-making and connection. Everyone is welcome! The group meets every Thursday. For more information, contact Paisha Rochlin, Barbara Cymrot or AJ Turpen Fried.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

During this time of immense loss and grief, we are holding regular Kaddish Memory Circles to support each other. Rabbi Mychal Copeland, Ora Prochovnick and Martin Tannenbaum will alternate leading these circles twice a month, starting in February.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

You are invited to a twice-a-month Shabbat morning exploration of yoga and Judaism that integrates mind, body, and spirit. Stuart Dick and Rabbi Mychal Copeland will alternate leading the first and third Saturday of every month.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Everyone is welcome. And you will not regret it! A typical session includes a short and longer silent sit, with chanting, movement, and a short teaching. The group meets on the first and third Saturday of every month.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Songs and prayers to set our hearts and minds! This service takes place every Tuesday morning, and is led by community lay leaders and Cantor Bernstein. For more information, contact Cantor Bernstein.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Be a part of this monthly gathering of kids age 0-2 and their families. Connect about parenting thrills and fears, share tips and tricks, laugh and cry together. Email Sue Bojdak to get on the list, but you may also join anytime.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

This monthly puppet-led gathering is for kids ages 3-5 & their grown-ups. We are building Jewish community through play while we learn about Shabbat & other holidays. Please contact Sue Bojdak if you would like to join on a regular basis.

Join the Zoom Meeting: Zoom link

Contact sharonh@shaarzahav.org to sponsor a Shabbat

Programs at Sha’ar Zahav are supported by the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, the Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus Initiative for Immigrant and Refugee Justice of the Religious Action Center, San Francisco Humanities, and the National Center to Encourage Judaism.

You are receiving this email because you expressed interest in Sha'ar Zahav. Be sure to add office@shaarzahav.org to your (email) contacts list so that our communications land in your inbox! All our events take place at Sha'ar Zahav 290 Dolores Street, unless noted otherwise. To unsubscribe, please click on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email.